Electrical relay



VDen. 25, 1945. 1A EBERT 2,391,400

ELECTRICAL RELAY Filed Sept. l2, 1942 Patented Dec. 25, 1945 ELECTRICAL BELT;

Joseph F. Ebert, Hollis, N. Y., assigner. by indenne assithments, to Allied Control Company, c., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 12, 1942, Serial No. 45%,?33

(Cl. 200mm@ 8 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical relays and more especially to small compact relays for usc where there is likely to be heavy vibration or the likeand this application is a continuation-inpart of applicant's co-pending application, Serial No. 415,167, filed October 16, 1941.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a small compact relay of great strength and durability which will fit into the limited space available for it in airplane installations and will function eillciently and properly for a long time despite the severe vibrations to which it is sub- Jectedduring 'operation of an airplane.

In the past, various types and constructions of relays have been proposed and used. Many of these are successful in their operation, but there are certain inherent disadvantages therein. In most cases. the arrangements of the parts are such that considerable diliiculty and expense is necessary in the fabrication thereof. This renderssuch relays, in many instances, too expensive for certain uses. Some of such relays required various metal parts which had to be bent to complicated shapes before being assembled with the other elements of the relay. 'I'his required a number of additional operations which further increased the expense of the finished product.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome such disadvantages and to provide a relay structure in which there is incorporated a molded insulating member of such form, and cooperating with the other elements in such a manner. as to render the relay simple in construction and easy to assemble.

It is also among the objects of the present in vention to provide a relay wherein certain of the metal parts, speciiically, terminal elements, may be flat pieces of metal and these may be assembled without any bending operations.

It is still further among the objects of the invention to provide a structure wherein various elements constituting the relay may be readily assembled by screws and firmly held in place for functioning while at the same time allowing ready removal thereof for repair or replacement.

In practicing the present invention I provide a magnetic circuit consisting of an iron or similar member in the form of a U having a central at face and legs extending therefrom at right angles to said face. One of the legs is provided with means for securing to a suitable support, and therefore constitutes the base of the relay, as well as part of the magnetic circuit. e

The other leg is secured to an insulating memberwliichisintheformofaplatehavinsa recess formed in one oi the oi? such slee and shape as to accommodate the leg of the il. On the other surface ort the initiating plate are integrally ormed a number or. ed portions on which the various ele o may be secured and such elements, 'while in the form of at plates, may be so posit-i" -ed t "et cooperate with each other and .Jits contact arms, Without the necessity ci bending or fabricating such elements.

Each oi' the termine-l is secured. to the insulating plate by a single screw member. The said elem. t.. and the insulating plate are formed with ooo; e "ting projections and depressions whereby the en' e of s, pro jection into a depression serves an anchoring point for the terminal and the screw serves as means for rmly holding the terminal in place against accidental movement. while at 'the saine time allowing removal of the terminal when de sired.

By reason oi such a structure there is required a minimum number of metal pieces and only e. single piece, namely, the magnetic circuit, ie quires any bending operations. A number of parts in the relay have been materially reduced, and the assembly 'thereof is an extremely simple matter. it the same time, all oi the terminals are readily accessible for the soldering of Wires thereto for repair and for replacement. Became the insulating plate has been made in the .lorm as stated above, there have been eliminated a considerabie number of operations, thereby not only decreasing the cost of the relay, but increasing its strength, sturdiness, efficiency and life.

in the accompanying drawing constituting-.a part 'hereof and in which liire reference characters indicate like parte:

Fig. l is e, side View of e. relay embodying the present invention, having some parts broken away for clearness;

p Fig. 2 is an elevational view taken from the back of the relay, showing the outside of the face of the magnetic circuit;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view therein showing the various metal members and their relation to each other;

Fig. 4 is a plan view oi 'the insulating plate or member detached from the remainder of the relay;

Fig. 5 is an underneath view oi the insulating plate to show the form thereof for reception oi a leg of the u;

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the insulatins plate;

Fig. '7 is a side elevational view thereof; and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 3, showing the assembly of a terminal in the insulating plate.

There is provided a plate I having the ends and 3 bent at right angles thereto, a screw s passing through said plate and holding coil 5 in position. Leg 3 of the U, so formed, constitutes a base to be secured to a suitable support. The sides 6 of plate I are tapered and leg 3 is of lesser area than leg 3. A molded insulating plate l has a rim 8 formed on one side defining a flat surface onto which leg 2 is iitted and secured. A

pair of terminal clips 9 held in slots Ill are joined .by wires Il to coil 5.

' Armature I2 is hinged at I3 to leg 2 and has its upper end It bent at right angles to partly overlie plate l. Insulating block I5 is secured to end It and has two contact arms IS mounted thereon. Wires I1 therefrom connect with clips I8. The extended ends I9 of arms I have terminal buttons and 2l adapted to contact with corresponding buttons on the relay.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 2, 3 and 8, the insulating plate l hasV formed on its upper surface a pair of raised portions 22 providing a recess therebetween. A bolt 2t sets into the recess and carriesspring 25. Fork 26 straddles the bolt below the spring, and is iixed to block I5, whereby the armature is biased away from the coil. Contact buttons 2l (Fig. 8) cooperating with buttons 20 and having projections 28 iitting into openings 29 in portions 22, are lxed on metal terminal plates 30.' Openings 3l are provided to accommodate lead-in wires which are to be soldered or otherwise secured in place. At the opposite ends of plates 30 are openings 32 in alinement with metal inserts 33 for the reception of screws 3Q. This construction holds the plates 30 in position with a single screw and utilizes the head 28 of button 2l as an anchor for the terminal.

A pair of raised end portions 35 are located above and laterally of portions 22. Integral projections 36 are formed on the upper surfaces of portions 35. Terminal plates 3l are held by screws 38 passing through central openings and into threaded metal inserts 39 in portions 35. Openings Il provide means for attaching leadin wires and openings al are fitted over projections 35, whereby the terminals 31 are capable oi' being xed in position by a single screw with no possibility of accidental movement of the terminals. Extensions i2 overlie the free ends 'I8 of contact arms IB and have contact buttons 33.

-on the lower faces thereof to aline and make contact with corresponding buttons ZI4 on said arms.

By reason of the present construction,'the fabrication of the relay has been greatly simplified in various respects. Machining operations, cutting, trimming, tting, and the like have been entirely eliminated with a great saving of time, labor, and materials. The use of the insulating plate with the various raised and depressed portions provides a single member which may be' made in large quantities Vand at very low cost.

low cost, without the necessity ci 'any s 1;.; 1... operations and without a. omradcm.

since the insulating member is, so constructed that such flat pieces can be located in proper cooperative positions. Such pieces are of simple shapes requiring only very simple dies.

After the assembly is made, the several electrical connections on the contacts and terminals are easily attached since all such members are on the top of the' relay away from the base and its support, and the points of attachment are along the outer edges of the insulating members, giving great accessibility and convenience with ease of working. The terminals being held in place by screws at the top of the relay allow ready removal thereof for repair or replacement. The several factors involved result in a compact structure which is sturdy and which will withstand an extraordinary amount of strain, abuse and, particularly, severe vibration. Because of its compactness the present relay may be tted into places where other relays of similar capacity could not be used. Only one metal piece requires a bending operation, namely, the magnetic circle, and this serves not only as a base but also as a support for the insulating plate, thus eliminating several parts.

Various changes in the mechanical arrangement of the parts, the materials used, the specic form of the elements, and the like may be made within the spiritA of the invention, the scope of which is set forth in the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. In a relay, a Imagnetically conductive frame consisting of a cross member and two leg members extending from the ends thereof in the same direction and at right angles to said cross member with one leg member constitutinga base for supporting said frame, a coil fixed to said cross member with its axis at right angles thereto and located between said leg members, a hinge formed at the end of said other leg member, an insulating plate secured to said other leg memlber, a contact Imember on said insulating plate, an armature iitted on saidhinge and substantially parallel to said cross member, a Contact arm carried by and insulated from said larmature and overlying said insulating plate for co-operation with said contact member,and a spring biasing said armature away from said coil.

2. In a relay, a magnetically conductive frame consisting ofa cross member and two leg members extending from the ends thereof in the same direction and at right angles to said cross member with one leg member constituting a base for supporting said frame, a coil iixed to said cross member with its axis at right angles thereto and located .between said leg members, a hinge formed at the end of said other leg member, an insulating plate secured to said other leg member and having avpair of outwardly projecting portions, a contact member carried by each of said portions substantially in alinement with said cross member and spaced laterally of the center of said plate, an armature fitted on said hinge and substantially parallel to-said cross member, a pair of4 contact Varms carried by but insulated from said' armature and overlying said insulating plate for co-operation `with said contact members, and means biasing said armature away from said coil.

3. In a relay, a magnetically conductive frame consisting of a cross member and two leg members extending from-the ends thereof in the same direction andat right angles to said cross member with one leg member constituting abase for said frame, a coil used to said cross member with its axis at right angles thereto and located between said leg members, a hinge formed at the end of said other leg member, an insulating plate secured to said other leg member and hav ing a pair of outwardly projectingportions, a contact member carried by each of said portions substantially in alinement with said cross mem ber and spaced laterally oi.' the center of said plate, an armature iltted on said hinge and substantially parallel to said cross member, an angular extension on said armature overlying said insulating plate and having van insulating block on the upper face thereof, a pair of contact arms carried by said block and cci-operating with said contact members, and a spring biasing said armature away from said coil.

4. In a relay, a magnetically conductive frame consisting of a cross member and two leg members extending from the ends thereof in the same direction vand at right angles to said cross memlocated between said leg members, a hinge formed at the end of said other leg member, an insulating plate secured to said other leg member and having a pair of outwardly projecting portions, a contact member carried by each of said portions substantially in alinement with said cross member and spaced laterally of the center of said plate, an amature ntted on said hinge and substantially parallel to said cross member, a pair o1' contact arms carried by but insulated from said armature and overlying said insulating plate for co-operation with said contact members, said extension having a slotted inner end, a stud secured to said insulating plate and being embraced by the slotted inner end of said extension, and a coil spring surrounding said stud and engaging said extension to bias said armature away from said coil.

5. In a relay, a magnetically conductive frame consisting of a center section and two leg sections extending from the ends thereof at right angles to said center section with one of said leg sections constituting a base for supporting said frame, a coil xed at one end to said center section and located between said leg sections, a. movably supported armature extending across the remaining end of said coil, an insulating plate attached to the remaining leg section, a stationary contact supported thereby, a contact arm carried by but insulated from said armature for movement into and out of engagement with said stationary contact, and means biasing said armature to e'ect movement of said contact arm relative to said stationary contact upon de-energization of said coil.

6. A relay comprising a magnetically conduc' tive frame in the form of a U having a central face and legs at right angles thereto with one of said legs being adapted to constitute a base for the relay, a coil supported by said central face between and parallel to said legs, an armature hinged to the remaining leg and extending across the end of said coil, a block of insulating material having in one face a recess receiving said remaining leg and having an integrally formed raised portion on the opposite face, a contact arm insulatingly supported by said armature and extending at right angles therefrom. a contact member carried by said raised portion and lying in the path of said contact arm, and means biasing said contact arm and armature relative to said contact member.

'1. A relay comprising a magnetically conductive frame in the form of a U having a. central face and legs at right angles thereto with one of said legsbeing adapted to constitute a base for the relay, a coil supported by said central tacebetween and parallel to said legs, an armature hinged to the remaining leg and extending across the end of said coil, a block of insulating material having one face contacting said remaining leg and having two different level integrally formed raised portions on the opposite face, a contact arm insulatingly supported by said armature and extending at right angles therefrom across the lower level portion, a contact member carried by said lower level portion in underlying relation to said contact arm, a contact member carried by said higher level portion in overlying relation to said contact arm, and means biasing said contact arm toward one contact member.

8. A relay comprising a magnetically conductiverframe in the form of a U having a central face and legs at right angles thereto with one or said legs being adapted to constitute a base for the relay, a coil supported by said central race between and parallel to said legs, an armature hinged to the remaining leg and extending across the end of said coil, a block of insulating materia1 having one face contacting said remaining leg l and having two different level integrally formed raised portions on the opposite face, a contact member insulatingly supported by said amature and extending across the lower level portion, a contact member carried lby said lower level portion in underlying relation to said contact arm, a contaot'member carried by said higher level portion in overlying relation to said contact arm, a

stud supported by said block, an arm carried by said armature and having a recessrecelvlng said stud, and a spring supported by said stud in engagement with said arm to bias the armature relative to said block.

JOSEPH P. mi'. 

